Dominica: The agricultural symposium in Dominica is currently going on and Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit attended it while addressing the youth to promote agricultural sustainability across the nation.
As the event was inaugurated on its first day, the prime minister expressed his happiness as a large number of young generation attended the event. As he addressed them, he stated the importance of agriculture for the nation, while noting that the country cannot rely solely on importing food.
He noted the importance of agriculture while stating that it is crucial for building infrastructure, including schools, roads and improving healthcare facilities. PM further said that “If the youth of the nation come together, we can make significant advancements to our country”.
“The farmers are aging and no one is to follow their path as the youth is refraining themselves from this path” he added, while stating the decline in agriculture to low participation of youth in the sector.
Prime minister Skerrit also noted that there are certain barriers in free movement of agricultural products while stating that, “It’s interesting that we can easily sell our products to numerous European countries but not to countries in the OECS or CARICOM. The governments of all of these countries must address this issue immediately and with great political will”.
The Prime Minister also urged member countries to review their trade policy regarding the free trade of agricultural products. PM noted that it is difficult to approach the World Bank or the IMF (International Monetary Fund) unless we make structural changes to the OECS and CARICOM policies.
This year’s agriculture Symposium intends to bring together the region’s next generation of agricultural leaders, as well as the youth, to discuss innovation, tools, possibilities, and the conditions required to define agriculture’s future and create job opportunities for all.